Button assembly and washing machine having the same

ABSTRACT

A button assembly and a washing machine having the same are disclosed. The button assembly includes a body, two or more buttons elastically connected to the body, and a partition member provided between the respective neighboring buttons and linked with any one of the two or more buttons. The button assembly enables easy button manipulation upon operation of the washing machine.

This application claims the benefit of the Korean Patent Application No. 10-2008-0017858, filed on, Feb. 27, 2008, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a button assembly and a washing machine having the same, and more particularly, to a button assembly which can be easily manipulated by a user upon operation of a washing machine and a washing machine having the same.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

Generally, washing machines include a washing machine to wash, rinse and dehydrate an object to be washed, a drying machine to dry an object having passed through a washing operation, and the like.

To operate such a washing machine, conventionally, the washing machine is provided with a plurality of buttons, etc. However, operating the washing machine using the buttons, etc. problematically inconveniences a user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a button assembly and a washing machine having the same.

An object of the present invention is to provide a button assembly which can be easily manipulated by a user upon operation of a washing machine and a washing machine having the same.

Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a button assembly includes: a body; two or more buttons elastically connected to the body; and a partition member provided between the respective neighboring buttons and linked with any one of the two or more buttons.

The two or more buttons may be formed, at adjacent side surfaces thereof, with recesses, and the partition member may be provided between the recesses.

The button assembly may further include a transparent member provided at a front surface of each button. In this case, the button assembly may further include a display member interposed between the transparent member and the button.

The button may be provided with a light emitting element.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a washing machine including a control panel to which the above-described button assembly is mounted.

The control panel may have a predetermined inclination angle, and the buttons and partition member of the button assembly may be tilted by an angle corresponding to the inclination angle of the control panel.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating a control panel according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a button assembly shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2, illustrating an alternative configuration of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a front view illustrating a button assembly mounted to a control panel according to a further embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a front view of the button assembly shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the button assembly shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a side view of a button assembly according to a still further embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a state wherein the button assembly shown in FIG. 9 is mounted to a control panel; and

FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view of the button assembly shown in FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the washing machine includes a control panel 10 to control operation of the washing machine, and the control panel 10 is provided with a plurality of buttons 12. In use, operation of the washing machine 1 is controlled as a user manipulates the buttons 12 of the control panel 10.

As can be seen from FIG. 1, if the plurality of buttons 12 is gathered in a predetermined area, there is a risk of the user pushing two or more adjacent buttons simultaneously upon manipulation of the plurality of buttons 12, making it difficult for a controller (not shown) of the washing machine to correctly recognize button manipulation.

Although it may be considered to arrange the plurality of buttons with a predetermined interval therebetween to solve the above-described problem, this solution seriously inconveniences a user upon operation of the washing machine.

FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating a control panel 100 having a button assembly 110 according to another embodiment of the present invention, which is devised to solve the above-described problem.

Referring to FIG. 2, the button assembly 110 according to the present embodiment includes partition members 130 to prevent adjacent or neighboring buttons 120 from being simultaneously pushed upon manipulation of the buttons 120. With provision of the partition members 130, when a user attempts to push a specific one of the buttons 120 for operation of the washing machine, it is possible to prevent other adjacent or neighboring buttons 120 from being pushed, enabling accurate user manipulation.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating only a button assembly shown in FIG. 2;

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the button assembly 120 according to the present embodiment includes a body 112 detachably connected to the control panel 100, and two or more buttons 120 elastically connected to the body 112. The control panel 100, to which the button assembly 110 is mounted, is provided with the partition members 130 which prevent the two or more buttons 120 from being pushed simultaneously.

In the present embodiment, the partition members 130 are integrally formed at the control panel 100 to which the button assembly 110 is mounted, rather than being formed at the body 112 of the button assembly 110. As shown in FIG. 3, the partition members 130 protrude forward from the control panel 100 by a predetermined length and are alternately arranged with the buttons 120 of the button assembly 110. The forwardly protruding partition members 130 assist the user to accurately push only a desired button 120 rather than erroneously pushing other adjacent or neighboring buttons 120 upon manipulation of the buttons 120.

The partition members 130 may extend from the control panel 100 as shown in FIG. 3, or may extend from a separate supporting member 140 provided behind the control panel 100 as shown in FIG. 5. Although not shown in the drawings, alternatively, the supporting member 140 may be detachably coupled to a rear surface of the control panel 100.

Hereinafter, the button assembly 110 according to the present embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 4, the button assembly 110 according to the present embodiment includes the body 112 detachably connected to the control panel (100, see FIG. 2), and the plurality of buttons 120 elastically connected to the body 112.

The buttons 120 for user manipulation are connected to the body 112 and in turn, the body 112 is detachably mounted to the rear surface of the control panel 100. This mounting configuration will be described in detail hereinafter.

The buttons 120 are elastically connected to the body 112. More particularly, the buttons 120 and body 112 are elastically connected to each other by means of connectors 114, and the connectors 114 extend from the body 112. The connectors 114 may be made of a material having appropriate elasticity and for example, may be made of synthetic resin, etc.

The buttons 120 may be provided with display members, such as various characters, figures, symbols, or light-emitting elements, etc. on the basis of functions thereof. The display members may be directly formed at front surfaces of the buttons 120 so as to be exposed to the outside. Preferably, a transparent member 122 is provided at a front surface of the button 120, and a display member is interposed between the button 120 and the transparent member 122.

Specifically, the transparent member 122 may be detachably mounted to the front surface of the button 120 by use of fasteners, such as hooks, etc. Accordingly, a display member (not shown), selected based on a function of the button 120, is placed on the front surface of the button 120, and thereafter, the transparent member 122 is mounted onto the display member and the front surface of the button 120 such that the display member can be seen from the outside through the transparent member 122, thereby indicating the function of the button 120. In particular, assuming that the display member is a light emitting element, a hole 124 may be formed in the center of the button 120 such that the light emitting element, such as a light emitting diode, is inserted into the hole 124. In this case, the light emitting element emits light when the corresponding button 120 is pushed, allowing the user to accurately know the pushed button 120.

As described above, the partition members 130 are provided at the button assembly 110, to prevent other adjacent buttons 120 from being erroneously pushed when a specific one of the buttons 120 is pushed. However, due to the fact that the partition members 130 are realized as additional members between the respective neighboring buttons 120, the above-described partition members 130 have a risk of deteriorating smooth manipulation of the buttons 120.

Specifically, in the embodiment as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, if a gap between the button 120 and the partition member 130 is not sufficiently large, smoothly pushing the button 120 is difficult due to friction between the button 120 and the partition member 130. In the worst case, the partition member 130 may become jammed between the neighboring buttons 120, causing a failure in pushing of the button 120. Therefore, to solve this problem, it is necessary to change the configuration of the button assembly. Hereinafter, a further embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 6 illustrates a state wherein a button assembly 210 according to the further embodiment of the present invention is mounted to a control panel 200. A greatest difference between the button assembly 210 of the present embodiment and the button assembly 110 of the previously described embodiment is that partition members 230 included in the button assembly 210 are moved in linkage with buttons 220. The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings will forces upon such difference.

FIG. 7 is a front view illustrating only the button assembly 210 shown in FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the button assembly 210 according to the present embodiment.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, in the button assembly 210 according to the present embodiment, each partition member 230 is connected to any one of the buttons 220, so as to be linked with the two or more buttons 220.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, assuming that there are three buttons 220, two partition members 230 are provided between the respective neighboring buttons 220. Each partition member 230 is connected to and linked with the buttons 220 immediately above and below thereof. Of course, it will be appreciated that the number of the buttons 220 and the configuration of the partition members 230 connected to the respective buttons 220 are given by way of example, and the sprit of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned number of the buttons 220 and the connecting relationship between the buttons 220 and the partition members 230.

The partition members 230 may be separately or integrally formed with the buttons 220.

In the present embodiment, the partition members 230 protrude forward by a predetermined length so as to prevent other adjacent buttons 220 from being erroneously pushed when a specific one of the buttons 220 is pushed. Moreover, the partition members 230 are linked with the buttons 220 so as to enable smooth manipulation of the buttons 220 via reduced friction between the buttons 220 and the partition members 230.

To further reduce friction between the buttons 220 and the partition members 230 when the buttons 220 are moved, the neighboring buttons 220 may be defined, at facing surfaces thereof, with recesses 222 and 224, and the partition member 230 may be located between the recesses 222 and 224. With this configuration, when one button 220 and the adjacent linked partition member 230 are pushed, it is possible to minimize friction between the partition member 230 and the other adjacent button 220.

FIG. 9 is a side view illustrating a button assembly 310 according to a still further embodiment of the present invention. The button assembly 310 according to the present embodiment is different in that buttons 320 and partition members 330 are tilted by a predetermined angle.

Specifically, if a front surface of the control panel 300 has a gentle inclination as shown in FIG. 10, the configuration of FIG. 7 wherein the buttons and partition members are arranged in a straight line has a problem in that the buttons do not extend parallel to the inclined front surface of the control panel even after completely assembling the button assembly to the control panel, causing inconvenience in user button manipulation.

The button assembly 310 according to the present embodiment is suitable to be mounted to the gently inclined front surface of the control panel 300, and the buttons 320 and partition members 330 are tilted by a predetermined angle. Accordingly, since the buttons 320 and partition members 330 are tilted by a predetermined angle as shown in FIG. 9, when the button assembly 310 is mounted to the gently inclined front surface of the control panel 300, the buttons 320 are arranged parallel to the front surface of the control panel 300. This allows the user to easily manipulate the buttons 320.

FIG. 11 illustrates a state wherein the button assemblies 210 and 310 according to the above-described embodiments are mounted to the control panels 200 and 300. Although FIG. 11 illustrates the embodiment wherein the partition members and buttons are linked with each other for convenience of illustration, the mounting configuration shown in FIG. 11 is similarly applicable to other embodiments wherein the partition members and buttons are not linked with each other and thus, a repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 11, a plurality of protrusions 250 is formed at a rear surface of the control panel 200 or 300 to which the button assembly 210 or 310 is mounted, and the body 212 or 312 of the button assembly 210 or 310 is formed with indentations 216 or 316 corresponding to the protrusions 250. Accordingly, when the user attempts to assemble the control panel 200 or 300, the body 212 or 312 of the button assembly 210 or 310 is caught by the protrusions 250, enabling detachable mounting of the button assembly 210 or 310.

As apparent from the above description, in the button assembly according to the present invention, the partition members and buttons are linked with each other, allowing the user to easily manipulate the buttons.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. 

1. A button assembly comprising: a body; two or more buttons elastically connected to the body; and a partition member provided between the respective neighboring buttons and linked with any one of the two or more buttons.
 2. The button assembly according to claim 1, wherein the buttons are elastically connected to the body via connectors.
 3. The button assembly according to claim 1, wherein the partition member is connected to and linked with any one of the buttons adjacent thereto.
 4. The button assembly according to claim 1, wherein the partition member is integrally formed and linked with any one of the buttons adjacent thereto.
 5. The button assembly according to claim 1, wherein the two or more buttons are formed, at adjacent side surfaces thereof, with recesses, and the partition member is provided between the recesses.
 6. The button assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a transparent member provided at a front surface of each button.
 7. The button assembly according to claim 6, further comprising a display member interposed between the transparent member and the button.
 8. The button assembly according to claim 6, wherein the button is provided with a light emitting element.
 9. The button assembly according to claim 1, wherein the button and partition member are tilted by a predetermined angle.
 10. A washing machine comprising: a button assembly including a body, two or more buttons elastically connected to the body, and a partition member provided between the respective neighboring buttons and linked with any one of the two or more buttons; and a control panel to which the button assembly is mounted.
 11. The washing machine according to claim 10, wherein the control panel has a predetermined inclination angle, and the buttons and partition member of the button assembly are tilted by an angle corresponding to the inclination angle of the control panel. 